Research On Religion

Posts Tagged ‘Kuwait’

Alessandra González on Islamic Feminism

Tags: education, feminism, hijab, Iraq invasion of Kuwait, Islam, Islamists, Kuwait, Liberals, methodology, modesty, pan-Arabism, patriarchy, Salafi Islamists, Samuel Huntington, Shari'a Law, veil, women's suffrage

Does the term “Islamic Feminism” sound counter-intuitive? Dr. Alessandra González explores how women in Kuwait are finding ways to empower themselves and advocate for their interests in an environment where political Islam (or Islamism) is resurgent. She contrasts notions of Islamic feminism with how feminism is perceived in the West and reveals a number of fascinating insights on gender roles in a Muslim society. Changes in educational opportunities and changing perceptions among younger generations play a role in promoting this movement, as well as the surprising impact of Iraq’s invation of Kuwait in 1990. We also talk about the important role of conforming to traditional community norms and how men might actually be helping facilitate the struggle for women’s rights and empowerment.

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Nathan Brown on the Muslim Brotherhood

Tags: Abdel Nasser, Anwar Sadat, colonialism, Egypt, Free Officers, Hamas, Hassan al-Banna, Hosni Mubarak, Islam, Jordan, Kuwait, Muslim Brotherhood, Palestine, Sayyid Qutb

Prof. Nathan J. Brown of George Washington University and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace details the history and impact of the Muslim Brotherhood. We trace the origins of the Brotherhood back to the 1920s in Egypt through the regimes of Abdel Nasser and Anwar Sadat, and then through the Mubarak regime. Our discussion includes reflections on the role of the Muslim Brotherhood in the protests rocking Egypt in January and early February of 2011.

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